Not applicable.
This invention relates to a rotary cylinder valve that may be used in a water softening capacity that controls the liquid flow though the softener resin in five cycles by regenerating the ion exchange resin with brine as a regenerate.
Prior valve design usually consists of a rotating disc or reciprocating piston that require a large number of parts, with an excessive amount of sealing surfaces and are relatively expensive to manufacture. Other factors to consider in prior valves are as follows:
(a) more prone to liquid leaks due to excessive sealing surfaces;
(b) high operating torque needed to rotate or reciprocate functional member;
(c) the complicated means for homing in service cycle by use of an additional switch, optical lens, or continuous monitoring by the control circuit;
(d) complex designs making it unfeasible to mold more than one control valve at a time making parts more costly;
(e) prior valves may need special fixtures, heat welding machines and a large area for production;
(f) prior valves are complicated and difficult to service;
(g) present designs are not adaptable in altering configuration of mold to change outside appearance for vendor purposes;
(h) prior valves do not have a positive means to alleviate the accumulation of air or liquid before removing main valve components;
(i) present bypass valves are of the push pull or turn spool type U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,196 or 5,152,321 that contain an excessive amount of sealing surface making sealing member difficult to actuate, and uneconomical to be motor driven;
(j) prior valves contain an excessive number of parts in comparison to its functional requirements;
(k) prior valve designs do not have the capability of illustrating functional capabilities in simple form;
(l) prior valves designs do not lend themselves to be enlarged into commercial sizes due to difficulties in torque requirements and assembly.
(m) prior valve designs as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,290 require a central fluid flow path with many complicated chambers that are difficult for mold design.
It is the object of this invention to provide an improved rotary control valve.
Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a valve of various sizes capable of using the same basic design while eliminating the variable effects of friction due to pressure and area differences that is associated with increased valve size;
(b) another object is to design a unique rotary cylinder having liquid passages in one unit that aligns with seal openings to perform various cycle functions where cylinder opening or cavities may be repositioned to change flow patterns if desired;
(c) an object is to simplify the orientation of the cylinder in relation to its service position and have it readily visible as to its cycle location;
(d) another object of the invention is having the capability of containing functional parts such as an aspirator in the main cylinder to simplify replacement of all internal functional parts;
(e) another object is to produce a valve constructed in one plane to simplify molding with the capability of producing more than one valve at a time to reduce cost. This also makes drawing diagrams easily understood by the average service person for repairing purposes;
(f) another object is to produce a valve where main seal is accessible by the simple removal of a xe2x80x98Uxe2x80x99 pin, which also acts as a liquid or air pressure relief;
(g) another object of the invention is to produce a bypass valve containing a minimum amount of parts and sealing surface allowing it to be economically feasible in using a handle or motor to rotate valve shaft;
(h) another object is to have a cam-operated switch capable of producing a short electrical impulse prior to service position that interacts with timer electronics to indicate service is the next position;
(i) another object is to have control valve achieve its functions using the minimal amount of sealing surfaces, which affects rotating torque, and making it less prone to failure due to liquid leaks;
(j) another object is to have all functional parts easily accessible for manufacturing and repairs;
(k) another object is having the option of positioning the timer according to requirements as in a one or two tank unit.